4 Ways to Clear Preview Cache on Windows

4 Ways to Clear Preview Cache on Windows
4 Ways to Clear Preview Cache on Windows

Table of contents:

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Whenever you open a folder containing images on Windows XP, a hidden system file called "Thumbs.db" is created. These files allow you to speed up the display of previews when you open that folder again and can take up a lot of space if you have a lot of images on your computer. You can safely delete them and prevent their creation by disabling the preview cache.

On Windows Vista the preview cache is contained in one location instead of being distributed across many invisible files. You will also find in Disk Cleanup an option that allows you to clear the preview cache.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Clear the Preview Cache on Windows XP

Step 1. Since Thumbs.db is a hidden system file, you will need to allow it to be viewed

Follow these steps:

  1. From Windows Explorer, click on the "Tools" menu, then select "Folder Options".

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 1Bullet1
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 1Bullet1

  2. Click on the "View" tab.

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 1Bullet2
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 1Bullet2

  3. Make sure "Show hidden files and folders" is checked.

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 1Bullet3
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 1Bullet3

  4. Uncheck "Hide protected operational files" and click "OK" when the warning appears.

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 1Bullet4
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 1Bullet4

  5. Click "OK" to close the Folder Options window.

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 1Bullet5
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 1Bullet5
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 2
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 2

    Step 2. Open the Start menu, and then click "Search"

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 3
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 3

    Step 3. Click "Search for files and folders" in the left pane

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 4
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 4

    Step 4. Type "Thumbs.db" in the search field, then click "Search"

    Windows will search for all "Thumbs.db" files on your computer. If they don't show up, make sure hidden and system files are included in the search results.

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 5
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 5

    Step 5. Click "Select All" from the "Edit" menu

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 6
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 6

    Step 6. Click "Delete" from the "File" menu

    The files will be moved to the Trash, according to your settings.

    Method 2 of 4: Clear the Preview Cache on Windows Vista

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 7
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 7

    Step 1. Run the Disk Cleanup tool - open the Start menu, type "Disk Cleanup", then press Enter

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 8
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 8

    Step 2. Make sure the "Previews" option is checked, then click "Delete files"

    Method 3 of 4: Disable Preview Cache on Windows XP

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 9
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 9

    Step 1. Open Windows Explorer

    Right click on the "Start" menu and select "Explore".

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 10
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 10

    Step 2. Click on the "Tools" menu, then select "Folder Options"

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 11
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 11

    Step 3. Click on the "View" tab

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 12
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 12

    Step 4. Select "Don't cache previews", then click "OK"

    Method 4 of 4: Disable Preview Cache on Windows Vista

    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 13
    Clear the Thumbnail Cache in Windows Step 13

    Step 1. Follow the same steps as in Windows XP, but select "Always show icons and no previews

    Windows Vista does not offer the option to disable the preview cache; you can only disable them completely.

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